Process of uniting metals.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1903.

J. M. ANDERSON.

PROCESS OF UNITING METALS.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 2, 1902.

NO MODEL.

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UNrrnn STATES Iatented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MILLER ANDERSON, OF PITTSBURG,- PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF UNITING M ETALS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 729,1 13, dated May 26, 1903. Application filed September 2, 1902. Serial No. 121,865. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN MILLER ANDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Uniting Metals, of which improvement the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the Welding of metals.

The object of the invention is to produce a metallic article having a body of one metal and a facing of another, the facing being more intimately united with the body of the article than has heretofore been the case.

It has heretofore been the practice to produce metallic articles faced with another metal in the following manner: The billet or blank which is to form the body of the article is properly cleaned and then coated with a metallic deposit. The sheet of metal which is to compose the facing of the finished article is then placed upon the coated surface, and this compound blank is then compressed. The compression consolidates the article to final shape. Instead of coating the billet or blank and then applying the sheet I first bring the billet or blank and the sheet face to face. I do not permit them to make actual contact throughout, but maintain a small space between the adjacent'surfaces. I then fill the intervening space with metallic deposit and then consolidate the compound blank, as in the former process. By departing from the former process in the particular indicated I obtain a much more intimate union of the parts, and accordingly I find that the finished article of my improved process has fewer blisters and is more satisfactory in use than the product of the former process. I attribute this superiority to the fact that in my improved process the atmosphere is excluded from the joint much more effectually than in the former process.

The accompanying drawing will serve to illustrate my invention. It is a perspective view of a billet 1 and of two sheets 3 3, placed one on either side of the billet in position for uniting according to my improved process.

As shown in the drawing, the billet has channels on either side formed by flanges 2 2 2 2, which have been produced in rolling the in the drawing.

billet, and the sheets 3 3 are curved and are brought to the billet with their concave faces to the billet, and their edges rest within the channels formed by the flanges 2. These structural details form no part of my present invention. The drawing in this-particular serves to show a convenient means of bringing the parts into position for further treatment. It is necessary only that the billet and the sheet or sheets to be applied are brought into juxtaposition, a space being maintained between the adjacent surfaces. When the parts are assembled as shown in the drawing, I find it convenient to turn the edges of flanges 2 over the edges of sheets 3, thus securing the sheets. I next proceed to fill the space between the billet and sheet with metallic deposit. I accomplish this by exposing the adjacent surfaces to a solution of a metallic salt and precipitating the metal from the solution, as by chemical reaction or by electrolysis, until the space is completely filled. I then work the compound blank to final form, as in the former process.

I have found my process peculiarly applicable to the production of sheet iron and steel faced with copper or brass, and while I do not limit myself to the particular substances used in this connection and include Within the scope of my invention the process which I describe when applied to the production of articles of metal faced with metal, regardless of what the particular metals may be and regardless of What the particular metallic deposit between the blanks may be, I shall particularly describe the production of these articles. The billet of iron or steel which forms the body of the blank to be rolled to a sheet is first cleaned in any well-known manner, as by pickling. The sheet or sheets (in case both sides of the product are to be faced) are then applied in the manner shown These sheets are of copper or brass. The edges of flanges 2 are then turned to secure the sheets in place. The parts so assembled are then immersed in a solution of metallic salt. It is requisite in this particular only that the adjacent surfaces of the billet and sheet be exposed to the solution. The particular salt which I prefer to employ is copper sulfate, and to the solution I preferably add cyanid of copper in solution. The amount of cyanid solution added may vary indefinitely, for the solution may be a solution of sulfate only or of cyanid only or of both in any ratio; but I obtain the best results when the amount of cyanid solution is about one-fifth of the amount of sulfate solution. Metallic copper will then be deposited upon the metallic surfaces exposed to the solution in the manner well understood in the art. I find it desirable to heat and agitate the solution while precipitation is in progress, and to this end I inject into the solution a jet of very hot steam, which heats and agitates the solution and hastens precipitation.

I allow this precipitation to continue until the spaces between the billet and the sheet or sheets are wholly or substantially filled with the deposit of copper. The compound blank is then withdrawn from the solution and heated and rolled, as in the former process.

Instead of depositing metal in the space between the billet and sheet in the manner described the deposit may be obtained by electrolysis. When making this deposit by electrolysis, I connect the billet with the sheet or sheets applied to it in such manner that they form the negative pole of an electric circuit, and as the positive pole I em ploy a sheet of copper. I immerse the poles in the copper solution, (it is sufiicient here also if the adjacent surfaces only of the billet and sheet be exposed to the solution,) and electrolytic deposition will thereupon take place. As in making the deposit by-the chemical reaction described above, so in making the deposit by electrolysis, I preferably inject a jet of steam into the solution while the deposit is forming. I find that the spaces may be filled more rapidly and more perfectly by the electrolytic method than by the chemical reac tion first described.

The final step of the process consists in the consolidation of the compound blank. I have conveniently termed this step working. It consists in applying pressure to the compound blank, and thus uniting the parts into a substantially integral compound metallic article. I have found my improved process practically applicable to copper or brass faced sheet-iron, and in producing this sheet-iron I take the compound blank from the solution, and by heating'and rolling I consolidate the parts and also work the blank to the desired form.

I claim as my invention 1. An improvement in the art of producing compound'metallic articles which consists in uniting two metallic blanks by the gradual interposition byincremental deposit of a third body of metal between them, and then working such. compound blank, substantially as described.

2. The process of uniting metals which consists in bringing the surfaces of the articles to be united into proximity, filling the space between the surfaces with metal deposited from solution, heating the compound blank thus formed, and subjecting it to pressure, substantially as described.

3, The process of uniting metals which consists in bringing the surfaces of the articles to be united into proximity, depositing a metal by means of an electric current from solution in the space'between the surfaces, heating the compound blank thus formed, and subjecting it to pressure, substantially as described. I

4. The herein-described process of manufacturing metal-faced sheet metal which consists in placing a body of the facing metal in juxtaposition to the billet from which the sheet is to be rolled, filling the intervening space with metal deposited from solution, and working the compound billet into sheets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN MILLER ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

B. D. GAMBLE, BAYARD H. OHRIsTY. 

